THE BATMAN UPDATE

The debut episode of The Batman on Kids' WB! on Saturday introduces Kevin Michael Richardson as the voice of The Joker.

Alan Burnett, an executive producer of the series who also was a producer on Batman: The Animated Series, said that Richardson gives a suitably weird performance.

"It's almost like a baritone Blue Meanie. It's the eeriest voice," Burnett said. "I can't wait for you to hear his voice. It's unbelievable."

Richardson has appeared in numerous television series, stage productions and feature films. His television credits include a lead role in The WB's Like Family and appearances on That's Life, Dream On, Mad About You, WKRP in Cincinnati and ER.

His feature films include on-screen appearances in Summoning, BASEketball and Bound and voice work in The Country Bears and Mortal Kombat.

Here's how Kids' WB! describes The Joker in the new series:

"The arch nemesis of The Batman, Joker is a maniacal harlequin whose bizarre appearance and unerring instinct for the absurd have earned him a reputation as 'the most dangerous criminal in the annals of crime.' For Joker, each transgression he commits is an elaborate joke in which he tries to leave his victims dying with laughter - literally. More than any other enemy, Joker becomes inextricably linked to The Batman, as the crazed clown's plots begin to take increasingly more personal tolls on our crime fighter."

In other The Batman news:

* The series' supervising producer and story editor is Duane Capizzi, whose credits include such comics-to-animation shows as Savage Dragon, Men in Black: The Animated Series and Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot.

* Kids' WB! is giving the show increasing promotion, including a preview of a scene from the first episode last Saturday and a spot that focuses on the series' villains.

Click on the thumbnails below for a larger look.

*Look for more on The Batman throughout the week here in The Continuum.